Persona 3 -Online-
by TheJesterArcana
Summary: On Christmas, 2031, a game titled 'Persona 3-Online-' was released. Many players logged into the game and explored aimlessly. They all, however did not know that they could not log out from the game. On the stroke of midnight, a terrible world sets into place over their city.With powers known as Persona, players fight or die trying for a way to beat the game. They've faced reality.
1. Chapter 1

**Persona 3 -Online- Chapter 1**

December 29th, 2031

"Later, nii-san! Oh, and your game is here!" My sister, Minako said as she left our home to school. I peered out of my window and watched her leave. I resisted an urge to smile as I peered out of my second floor window.

"Must be fun, huh...having a reason for..." I muttered as I went down to the mail.

After I retrieved the game from the mailbox, I stared blankly my tiny bedroom; the majority of the room was a shelf full of games of many genres and various consoles. I walked over to it, selected the SONY Virtual station out of the pile, and plugged it into the wall outlet in between my mattress and the wall. It was like a technological helmet in which you could wear on your head. Once you say the key words "Link Engage", the game would put all of your senses in the game itself; essentially, your conscience itself into a virtual reality. In my right hand held a game for that very console titled "Persona 3 Online". There was a lot of hype for this game; a school simulator and a RPG in one. I looked at the cover; a picture of a bay side school was on it. The words "Persona 3 -Online-" were in white pixelated letters. In the bottom left-corner was the word, tItan in black with the capital i in white. The developer? I opened the box, placed the cartridge inside the VS slot, and watched as the three LEDs flickered a light green color. I put the helmet shaped console on and began this game...

"Link Engage."

The start-up of the console required an email, password, and various usual things that a MMORPG would ask. I put the information in and accepted the terms and conditions. Initially, when purchasing the Virtual Station, you have to input real information in order to receive two-year warranty such as name and address. It did not ask me for a custom name because it uses the information readily available.

After start-up, the game presented me with a date in front of black and blue. It was April 6, 2009. It also stated that the time of the day was -Late Night-.

The game spawned me onto a crowded train. It was full of what appeared to be high school students wearing various clothing that may have been set for them. Just like them, I appeared to be wearing generic clothing. Light brown plaid dress shirt and blue jeans. Left to my seat was a window. Ignoring the sounds of spawning players and their noisy introductions, I gazed into it.

A light blue butterfly appeared in the window and seemingly trailed the train at the same speed. I opened my eyes wide and it vanished as I blinked. I would have thought it was strange, but seeming as this is just a game. At first glance, you would not be able to distinguish this world from reality. Upon closer inspection, you could see the game itself produced people as extremely high polygon count models.

"Final stop, Iwatodai, Iwatodai Station." The PA said loudly.

Did anyone other than me see that butterfly? No, looking at them, they are all concerned with introductions, friendship and all that crap. Then again, this is the point of the game. Social interaction and school life was the basic title of this game, after all...why did I even order this? What was I going for? After all, the only friends I needed threw me aside like yesterday's garbage.

As I thought that, I chuckled quietly to myself with my eyes closed. When I did that, a group of girls called me creepy and scary. Back then…I did not have that appearance.

The students left the train carrying an object, a piece of paper containing information on which dorm they were staying in. My sheet said -S.E.E.S. Dorm-. What did S.E.E.S. stand for? Perhaps if I progress through this game more. As I walked from the station to the dorm, I passed by an area titled -Naganaki Shrine-. What is the benefit of a shrine in a school simulator game, for the sense of realism using Japanese culture? Damn Titan, you people must be pulling out all the stops for a mystery developer.

As I arrived to the dorm, I stepped in and it would appear as if the room was its own separate instance from Iwatodai. It was incredibly more spacious from its outside iteration. On my right was a lounge table and sofas surrounding it and a TV close by. On my left were pantries of sorts and a sign in sheet on the counter. I signed my name and an object spawned next to it.

"Room assignment,

Room#2-3, Yamamoto Yahiko and Shima Hajime's room." Was written on a piece of paper.

It shattered into blue glass shards and faded away. I looked ahead to a set of stairs and walked up to the second floor. The hallway was just as bleak and lifeless as the other room. It seemed of lower quality polygons. Nevertheless, this "Hajime" and I's room was placed in the middle of this long hallway. It had six rooms on the left side and seven on the right. I stepped into the second room on the right side, which happened to be the third room overall.

I stepped into the room and stared emotionlessly at the bunk beds at the southern edge of the room. The spacious room appeared just as a typical high school student would have it; or at least, what I think a high school student would. On my left from the entrance was a mirror. I stepped to it to see how closely this 'VRMMORPG' would match my physical appearance. I would have to say even though I appeared as a model and textures in this game; I would have to say it is pretty damn close; not that I care or anything. My shoulder length hair felt real enough to nearly fool me. I was thinking of cutting it, but it would not even make a difference. In the corner of the room was a TV. I turned it on and it seemed to be broadcasting this game's news. In addition, I heard what sounded like people entering the S.E.E.S. Dorm. Next to the TV was the bunk bed. It appears as if the bunk bed did not belong there. It was not proportionate to the ceiling.

Nevertheless, I took this chance to take the bottom bunk before this Hajime character could put it up for debate. I lied down and put my hand up. This hand looks just like the one in the real world...if I stayed here…will I be accepted? I crushed those thoughts by tightly clenching my fist. I put my index and middle finger up, and placed them together. Using my wrist, I made a downward stroke of sorts and opened the system buttons. Nothing happened. In most Virtual Station games, the method of ending the game or accessing the options are doing a downward stroke with two fingers in a delicate motion.

"What the hell...?" I muttered.

Maybe there is something that induces the menus or something...Maybe the developers are doing something to fix this.

Whatever…I think I will wait a little longer…I stared at the watch on my wrist…it was approaching twelve. My body became heavy…my vision, blurry.

* * *

><p>-April 7th, 2009-<p>

I still had not been logged out. I attempted to open the settings again but it still would not work. Gazing at the closet near the door, I saw two school uniforms.

"Two, huh?" I said aloud. Standing up off the bed, I stumbled towards the closet. Before I could reach for the black uniform off the hanger, I was interrupted by snoring. I turned to look at the top bunk of the bed and a boy with honey brown hair slept with one arm dangling from the mattress. This must be Shima Hajime. I looked forward and grabbed the uniform and it suddenly appeared on my body in a flash of blue light. It woke up my sleeping roommate.

"Are you Yamamoto-kunnnn…?" He said sleepily, rubbing his left brown eye.

I did not bother speaking.

When I walked down the second floor stairs into the lounge, I heard a group conversing about why we cannot log out. I sat down, perched on the steps and eavesdropped on the conversation. I particularly did not want to take part in the conversation; I just wanted answers.

"This is bullshit, man! What if we get stuck in this game forever?" A rough voice shouted.

"Calm down, I assure you, the developers must be doing to correct this issue." A noble voice said.

"Um…" A soft female voice said.

"Yes, what is it?" The noble voice spoke.

"The uniforms in the closets…" The soft voice spoke again.

"Ah, yes. Those appear to be the uniform for the school nearby. Perhaps we will meet with more people that are unable to log out there. Or maybe we will find answers if we attend class?" The blonde noble voice said.

"Remember, this isn't the only dorm in "Iwatodai"." Another voice said. It was feminine, and sweet.

"I get it, I get it. At least right now, we should see the school and get some damn answers." The rough voice said.

It seemed like the conversation was going nowhere. I stood up and walked to the door, receiving glances from the bystanders. I turned to look to see: A blonde haired blue-eyed boy…A foreigner, perhaps; a brunette haired girl, a long black haired girl, and a buff boy with dyed dark purple hair.

They stared at me as if they expected me to speak up.

"Oh, hello…Oh, I did not catch your name." The blonde haired boy said with nobility.

"Yamamoto Yahiko."

"Ah, I see. Anyways, Yamamoto-san, can you open your settings?" He asked.

"I cannot." I said.

"Oh, I see. Where were you headed off to?"

"I was going to find a way to induce log out. I thought I could find an answer if I went to the school." I said, looking straight ahead at the wooden door.

"Is that so? We were planning to go there too. Do you need company?"

"I'm fine by myself." I said as I walked out into the streets of Iwatodai.

"Damn…he's cold." I heard a rough voice say as I left.

When I reached the end of the street near the dorm, options appeared to go certain places. I selected "Gekkokan High" and I was warped into a moving train. I was seated near a window next to a noisy, social student. In fact, everyone on the shuttle was a student. It was crowded and noisy. The majority discussed gameplay and the log out button not appearing. I, like always, stared out of the window to my right. The sky was bright blue, reflecting its color onto the ocean below. The school began to appear in my sight. It was white and massive, having multiple sections of it; for underclassmen, perhaps.

Apparently, many people could not log out of the game. The students who went to school just idled in the auditorium after the "principal" gave his speech. In this game, adults appear as high quality, life like models. Right down to the principal's gray hair follicles. Amidst the confusion, I could sense someone's glee…As if that person was wishing for death of some sort…as if they knew this was going to happen. Maybe it is just my suspicions getting the best of me. I arrived at the dorm and the game shifted from "After school" to "Evening". So what happens if I stayed outside for a certain period? Would it shift when I'm outside or would it only shift when I enter the dorm? I hope this curiosity doesn't become the death of me.

It would appear as if no one is in the dorm. I took the liberty to investigate the dorm. There's a kitchen near the lounge and a back door leading to who knows where. I attempted to open it but a purple hexagonal rectangle saying, "Blocked pathway" appeared. Next I tried the windows on the stairways all the way up to the forth. They all stated the same thing. Well, that is common sense, really. If one were to climb out of the window, it would lead to their death. Come to think of it...can we die? Can death induce the log out process? I remembered there was a knife in the kitchen…maybe I should…? No, that is suicide. After fruitless attempts at finding answers, I headed to the bedroom and went to sleep.

* * *

><p>409/09

It would appear that lying in the bed with your eyes closed forces your avatar to sleep for around the next day. When I awoke, it was early morning. As I stumbled out of bed, Hajime greeted me from atop the top bunk. "Yo, partner! You know a way to log out yet?"

"…"

"Yeah…of course you haven't…you're still here, aren't you? Hey, you know they have a ramen shop in here. I wanna go after school. You wanna come?"

"You know we have to pay, right? We have no way of knowing if we have currency in this game. There is no HUD and I cannot see anything that signifies money." I said, rudely.

"Yeah…I suppose you're right, Yamamoto-kun." He said with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"So…Hajime, have you found a way to log out yet?" I asked, still lying in the bed with a sense of drowsiness.

"Nah, but I heard a rumor from one of the kids at school. They said one of their friends was a beta tester and they said that we should be able to log out by the third day."

How dense is this person? That is how rumors work. People lie just to seem as if they are to a higher standard than others are.

He jumped off the top bunk onto the ground. He was already in uniform…or maybe he did not take it off yesterday. Dammit, I was wearing mine as well.

"You coming?" He asked.

"It's a waste of time. The school is too congested; I would rather stay in the dorm and wait."

"Alright, dude." He said, smiling weakly before he left.

Is he attempting to be my friend? That's quite the mistake. Whatever. I pulled the blanket over my head and went to sleep again.

* * *

><p>-Late Night-<p>

Instead of waking up naturally, I woke to the sound of rumbling and glass shattering. My room had a faint tint of green. The moonlight, maybe?

Someone was knocking on my room door. "Shima-kun! Wake up!" A female voice shouted. I nonchalantly walked to the door and opened. A brown-haired girl with green eyes stared at me with confused eyes. "Who…are you? Oh, it's you! I didn't know-"

"What's happening?" As I asked, Hajime fell out of the bunk bed onto the ground in a somewhat comedic manner.

"Something's happening to the dorm! The moon is glowing green! Like an event or something!" She exclaimed.

"Uh…what's going on, Hasegawa-san?" Hajime said, sleepily.

"I'll explain on the way, c'mon!" She said before running out of the room.

She stopped dead in her tracks. A stampede of player models running down the stairs to the first floor. Those who fell were crushed and their player avatars shattered into blue glass fragments. "I know what you're thinking and there's no way we can execute it with those people in the way." I said, looking at the window down the hall. The moon's light blissfully illuminated with the shade of green, giving off a slight horror feel. As I noticed, screams echoed from the floor below of the dorm.

"Then…how 'bout the roof?" Hajime asked.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan!" The girl said.

"You're forgetting one thing. This is a game. What the hell should we be afraid of?" I asked.

As if God was spiting my statement, the glass window nearest me shattered for no known reason. The shards of glass cut into my right my leg as the brown haired girl screamed.

My leg buckled and I fell under the digital pain. "What's wrong; don't tell me it hurts?" Hajime said.

"Are you okay?" Brown haired asked with fear.

I pulled the glass out of my shin and sauntered over to the stairway while the pain left me.

"Wait!" The two said at the same time.

My sauntering began to pick up speed. Before I knew it, I was running. Was I scared?

The next stairway before the roof, there was a window. The moon's radiance caused me to pause. The duo of idiots behind me caught up.

"Why did you stop?" The girl asked.

As I stared, the window darkened. "What the-" Hajime spoke.

In an instant, I pushed my body over the two as a giant black hand broke through the window. It receded outside and disappeared.

"Ouch…Yamamoto-kun, you alright?" Hajime asked. I looked behind to the glass on the ground.

I removed my body over the two and proceeded up the final flight of stairs. Upon arriving, there was a single door there. Without looking back at the two behind me, I entered the roof. It overlooked the town of 'Iwatodai'. Everything, painted in red blood, green moonlight, and faint red glows littered the town. It was damn terrifying and eerily quiet.

"See, safe and sound!" Hajime said as he walked over to the railing of the roof to peer over the town. "Oh, shi-!" He exclaimed. He was grabbed and flung towards us. I caught him and we fell.

Noisily, a black hand reached over the railing. No, multiple black hands reached over the railing. A large blue mask peered over it and scrutinized us carefully. It jumped over the railing and landed in front of us three. It was a mass of arms carrying numerous sharp blade-like objects. We stared at it before the girl whose surname is Hasegawa pulled out a gun-like object and pointed it at the creature.

Click!

She pulled the trigger but nothing happened. She kept pulling it but nothing happened. She began to cry while unsuccessfully pulling the trigger.

"Let me out…I want to go home…Let me OUT!..."

As I stared, a hexagonal rectangle appeared over the monster and had the words "Agilao" over it.

"What's that!?" Hajime shouted. A ball of fire exploded from the creature and directly hit Hasegawa and sent her flying into the brick wall of the roof entrance. The useless pistol flew in my direction. I caught it and felt the intense heat emanating from the metal. I began to reflect over killing myself would get me out of this situation. I stared at the weapon in my hand. My heart beat faster. My breathing slowed. Time slowed. I put the muzzle on my right temple. It felt hot but it was an oddly pleasing sensation.

I closed my eyes and as if the game was sending images into my head, a younger version of me in a voice that was not mine asked:

"Can you do it?" and put his right index and middle finger on his temple before jerking it upwards as if he 'shot' himself. The syllables slipped out of my lips after a deep breath.

"Per-so-**na…!**"

I pulled the trigger. The sound of glass breaking rung loudly as a blue aura surrounded me. It began to solidify and swirl around me and rise upwards. They conjoined and a tall, white, humanoid figure appeared above me.

_**"I am thou; thou art I. From the sea of thy soul I cometh; I am Orpheus, Master of Strings."**_

It had white hair with a red scarf around its neck. Its midsection had speakers embedded in it. Its arms were mechanical and non-human. Its legs were crafted in a similar fashion. A lyre that could possibly be used as a weapon was behind its back.

"What is that…?! What are you?" Hajime exclaimed.

"A gamer." I said nonchalantly as I pointed towards the monster.

"Orphe-_**ugh!**_" A splitting headache appeared in my head. It throbbed with every heartbeat.

Orpheus and I screamed at the same time at the top of our lungs in pain. A white-gloved human hand thrust itself from Orpheus' mouth. Another did and clasped both hands on both sides of Orpheus's mouth. It brutally split Orpheus in half, causing my head to reach the pinnacle of its migraine and I screamed once more.

Another 'Persona' appeared. It had some sort of head-wear reminiscent of a demon or devil skull. Its midsection was more human shaped than Orpheus. It wore a dark blue trench coat with a sword and sheath at its side. It had legs but no feet, just like Orpheus.

It unsheathed its sword and roared. The monster adjacent to it roared as well even though the face on the mask did not change.

The masked one charged towards the persona but the persona swung its blade, cutting multiple arms off the creature. The creature fired more "Agilao" attacks, as the roof was set ablaze. It missed harshly, even hitting the brick wall multiple times. An icon appeared where it hit the wall. "**Immortal Object**" was written in a hexagonal rectangle.

The deathly being on top of me raised its sword with a final swing. It swung the blade through the mask of the creature and it split in a mass of black blood that splattered and hissed upon contact with the fire. A hand that was left over from the creature attempted to escape. The being above me picked it up with great speed and crushed it in its hand.

In a flash of white light, the large sum of power subsided. In a text box in front of me that appeared in front of me, words appeared.

"Orpheus has regained its initial form. You have acquired the persona, Orpheus."

My vision blurred but I could still see faint red flames and a green sky…the green began to change to dark blue. My ears deafened but I could hear my name being called. Who is calling out to me? Minako...? Why...? Why would you still care for me...? Even as your brother...I always pushed you away...If I came back...would you take me back? Heh...Happy new Year, little sister... I…felt as though the world was changing, but you stayed the same. I don't want to change, yet everything is...I'm afraid; afraid that if I change, I won't ever look back. If I do, then the only thing that I would ever amount to…

_...is a tragedy._

* * *

><p>Please review! I've had this idea for a long time and I finally put it into words. Please also help me out, and tell me how this fic could improve!<p>

I based it off of Sword Art Online's premise of being stuck in a game and death is reality. That's honestly it though, there's nothing else from SAO in the story. Imagine if you woke up in Persona 3's world, what would you do? That's what Yamamoto Yahiko has to find out.

Thank you for reading :D


	2. Chapter 2: Trapped

**Chapter 2: Trapped**

When I awoke, I was on a hard floor surrounded by a crowd. I felt the rough cement on my hands as I stood up. "Where am I…?" I asked, but no one answered. They were intently focusing on something straight ahead. There was a little boy with black hair in striped black and white pajamas on sitting on a fountain of blood. I was a few yards away from him through the crowd.

"Ah, finally, your hero is awake…You're late. I've been waiting a long time for you. In any case, let's begin, shall we?" He said in a child-like voice.

"My name is Suzuki Shinichi and I welcome you players to my world."

"Is that a GM?"

"Why is a kid there?"

"Why were we teleported here?"

There were whispers like these all around.

His world? Then…he is with the developers, tItan; a child?

I could swear he was staring at me with those bright blue eyes of his. Suzuki Shinichi? I haven't heard that name before…Is he famous? In any case, I forced my mind to move again.

"I think you all might have noticed by now that you can't log out nor can you see a HUD. The fact that you cannot log out is not a bug; it is merely a part of Persona 3 Online."

"Part…of the game?" A female voice muttered with slight cracks in her voice.

The boy talked over her.

"Until you reach the top of Tartarus," He pointed towards a tower glowing bright green in the distance. "You won't be able to log out of the game."

"Tartarus? What's that? Sounds like toothpaste!" That voice sounded oddly familiar.

What was that glowing thing in the background. A castle? A tower?

"…also, destroying or the taking apart of the Sony Virtual Station is strictly forbidden. If it is attempted…"

The crowd was deadly silent. The silence of thousands, possibly a million people was overwhelming. The child's next words came slowly and fear inducing.

"The signal sensors in the VS will give off a strong electromagnetic pulse, destroying your brain and rendering your body completely useless. It will stop all human functions almost instantly."

Silence again. This was different however; the silence was almost as if the mass of people stopped breathing.

Destroy our brains.

That meant _death._

What he just said was, as soon as the headset is removed or turned off will kill us, almost instantly.

People in the crowd were not panicking but were muttering as if they were confused.

"That's bullshit! I know damn well that it can't kill us! Give us the damn log out button already!" A familiar rough voice shouted.

It's not 'bullshit'. The VS headset contains a large, powerful battery that, with enough output, could destroy a human's brain.

"Well…to be specific, disconnection from electricity for ten minutes, being cut off from P3O for more than two hours, or an attempt to open or destroy the Virtual Station headset. If any of these happen, the brain annihilation sequence will be initiated. These conditions have been made known to the government and the public through mass media in the real world. On that note, there have been numerous cases where family or friends have disregarded the caution and endeavored to remove the virtual station headset. The result…"

The child's voice took a breath. His gaze shifted back onto me as his eyes grew to be a lighter shade of blue.

"…431 Players have already met the death screen of this game, and the real world, for all eternity. But not just from the removing of the VS, but also because of that incident that you've just seen."

A female's scream came from west of my position. People stood with their mouths open dumbfounded or with a fear-induced smile. They looked as though they began to believe it.

In my heart, I tried to deny it; what Suzuki Shinichi said, but I know that it is possible. I denied it but my body was not like my heart. My knees began to buckle. My neck and hands began to moisture.

The male northwest of me fell over onto his back with a lifeless expression.

_Four hundred and thirty one players have already met…_

That sentence kept playing in my head. If that many have died, would more die?

"…I don't believe this…Nobody, buy what he's selling...," The fallen character said in a strained voice. "This is just the opening to this game…right? Stop jerking us around and let us out…this must be the opening event to this game…right?" His voice shook violently.

As if he was trying to destroy our dreams, the child spoke again, this time in a whisper that sounded as if it was transferred directly into our heads.

"Don't worry though, players. Your bodies should be doing just fine. At the moment, all TV, radio, and internet media are reporting the situation; including the demises that occurred. The danger of the Virtual Station headset being removed should have left. In a few minutes, using the week I am providing, your bodies should be transferred to hospitals and taken care of from then on. So just take our time, reach the top of Tartarus, and beat the game."

"What…?" I unknowingly spoke.

"From now on, Persona 3 Online is not a game. It is your new reality. At this point, any form of revival items and reincarnation spells will not work. The instant your health reaches zero, your character will die and be gone forever. And concurrently…"

I knew what he would say.

"Your brain will be destroyed by the Virtual Station headset."

I began to smile…It seemed like a reaction of some sort. I was about to laugh but I bit my tongue hard and heard a slight beep above me.

"Also, here's the HUD that would not appear."

I nervously flicked my wrist and used the option summoning motion to view. A blue, horizontal line displayed my health.

81/83, the numbers said. Was it because I bit my tongue?

The moment that reaches zero…I die, not just here, but in the real world as well.

I must have died numerous times in other VRMMORPGs on the first stage or intro.

An RPG is a game where you die; you learn from mistakes and level up. Now you can't. This now brings a new meaning to 'losing your life'.

"Players, there is but one way to be able to log out. You must reach the top of Tartarus. Those who are alive at that point will be logged out of the game. Using the power that you wield known as Personas, defeat the 'shadows' that stand in your way and reach the top."

"Shadows…persona? That thing…" I mumbled.

I see…So, the goal is to reach the top of Tartarus…but then what?

This virtual city known as 'Iwatodai' is a prison for us players now. Our reality.

But…I can't just stomach this. A few days ago, I had Christmas dinner with my mother and my little sister. My sister, Minako said bye to me before she went out…She told me that the game had arrived.

I can't go back? This is my home now?

"Please, open your inventory. There is something in there from me. Please take it." The striped boy said, closing his eyes, tilting his head, and smiling.

I swiped down until it scrolled to the first option in a light shade of blue.

'Items' was the first. I tapped it and it took me to the list.

Medicine x5

Snuff Soul x3

True Self x1

I selected the 'True Self' object and a light blue glass card reflecting my face appeared.

Suddenly, people were engulfed in a blue light similar to when I summoned Orpheus. I was too. The glass card in my hand shattered and swirled around me. It flew upwards and solidified. It became Orpheus. The same happened with others. Beings similar to Orpheus stood above in the air above their summoner. From what I could see, a soldier in a black jacket wielding a naginata- no it is two of them. One was a slight shade of red, however. A three headed dog, an armored female, a round-bellied Goddess, A horse riding one wearing armor. Five Personas, however, looked the same. They were skeletons of some sort. They all rode horses of different color. One did not, however. It looked like one of those matadors from Spain.

"I bet you're wondering why I would do something like this, right?" Suzuki Shinichi asked.

Up into this point, his voice sounded like a child who was excited. It lost all its emotion and sounded slightly older.

"Well, before any of you were born…I used to be known for being in charge of a company which produced a game that made me well known. I was fascinated with the world of that game and wanted to create a world similar to that. Nevertheless, trouble came, and the company went out of business. And so I waited for the future to come, I spent twenty years and finally my dream came to fruition."

After a short pause, the child's voice came back.

"The tutorial for Persona 3 Online has been completed. I wish you all good luck. And so it begins."

The voiced echoed throughout the area we were in. The boy had became a blue card and flew off towards the green moon hanging above us. The sky had become dark blue with visible stars. The BGM of the area we were in played but no one spoke.

East of me was a scream.

Then—all hell broke loose.

"You…gotta be joking dude! You've gotta…be…"

"I've got an interview at the end of January; I can't afford to miss it!"

"My dog…who's going to feed him?!"

People yelled, shouted, and cursed.

We went from game players to prisoners in a span of a few days. We have to accept this as our new reality. This isn't heaven nor hell, this is life as we know it now…

What this Shinichi wanted is what we have to live through. We have to meet his expectations. I can't return to the real world until we beat it. I won't see my mother, sister, or anyone for a while. Then again, my friends abandoned me; so what would I be looking forward to seeing other than my family? I may not even get the chance to. Once I die here, I'll die in the real world. The Virtual Station is the cell, Suzuki Shinichi is the jailor, and we…_we are the prisoners._

My mind began to calm itself. I breathed in and out before softly biting my bottom lip. I began to feel fatigue. I turned and looked for the nearest exit and ran through the crowd towards it. Upon reaching it, the game asked me where I would like to go; I picked the dorm.

Why did I even go there? Why was it the first thing on my mind? Either or, I'm safe from a mob of stampeding people. I stared at the tall building and then the roof. It wasn't on fire anymore. I entered the building and ignored the surroundings. I walked up the stairs without a glance at the window. I entered my room, sat on my bed, and muttered to myself:

_This is reality._

* * *

><p>418/09 –After School-

My mind felt clogged. As if it was full of things that I'm not aware of yet. What's wrong with the date? Did that much time pass? Damn it Shinichi! I slammed the back of my fist onto my mattress. Using the menu opening motion, I opened my options…no log out button. Oh! Developer notes, that's new.

'Due to the chaos caused during the intro, some players have been made into NPCs. Teenagers have been made into students at Gekkokan High, while adults have been made into NPC adults all over Iwatodai and Tatsumi Port Island. Also, players, your HUD has been updated to show your current level, Persona, and Arcana. I've used this time to make sure that your bodies have been properly placed and secured.'

"Arcana…?" I mumbled.

'The Arcana shows what respective group your Persona belongs to. The Arcana ranges from:

**0. The Fool**

** Magician**

** Priestess**

** Empress**

** Emperor**

** Hierophant**

** Lovers**

** Chariot**

**Justice**

** Hermit**

**Fortune**

**Streng****th**

**Hanged Man**

**Temperance**

**Devil**

**Tower**

**Star**

**Moon**

** Sun**

**Judgment**

**World**

The Fool is quite the special case. For example, the number zero, the fool represents emptiness. Therefore, the Fool wielders can use more than one persona. Their limit is twelve when they reach a certain level and can use any persona from any Arcana plus their own. They can also acquire the persona of a person that they defeat in battle. In addition, when they defeat a shadow, Persona cards appear which is the means for the Fools to acquire personas. They also can fuse Personas to make new, more powerful Personas in their menu. Fools are rare, however. There are only four out of all the Persona 3 Online players.'

I looked at my health bar. Next to it was my level; level two. On the right of that was my Persona, Orpheus and its Arcana, the Fool.

So…I'm empty? I'm a special case? I can use multiple Persona? I ignored these thoughts and kept reading.

'Personas can also undergo a change. The Virtual Station will pick up a change in moral or mentality that happens in your brain. With that, your persona can change into something either more powerful or weaker depending on what happens. Please keep in mind that the dangers in Tartarus can cause this. Finally, if you do not attend school for a week, you will be expelled, and when you are, you will be transmogrified into an NPC. Any grade lower than a sixty percent will be made into an NPC. Please remember that.' It ended.

I closed the menu and sighed. I still can't believe this…

I walked to my room door to open but it opened by itself.

"Oh~! Yamamoto-kun was it?" It was that Hasegawa girl. Ah, I remember. On the roof, she was hit with that "Agilao" spell. She's still alive? That looked like it hurt.

"Oh. Hasegawa, was it?" I asked even though I knew.

"Wow, no honorific? We're that close? Anyway, I came here to thank you,"

She grabbed my hand and walked me to the bed. We sat.

"I was really scared, you know…You saved my life twice now…How do I pay you back? I don't really know…I'm still scared…we can't go back…I won't ever see my family again…Aren't you scared too?"

She began to cry…What do I do? Should I bring her close or something?

"_Yeah…_" I whispered as I hugged her.

Her tears dampened the front of my uniform.

"I…I…wanna go home…Yamamoto-kun…thanks for saving me…" She trailed off.

"I wasn't trying to. I wasn't trying to get hit by that hand." I said truthfully.

"You liar…" She tucked her head in more to my chest.

I felt movement of her lips on my chest. Like a smile.

You're the liar. Looking above at her HUD, her Arcana was The Lovers. Does that mean that she's good at deceiving men? A girl with a similar appearance to her has already betrayed my feelings.

"Oh, I see that you've spoken to Yamamoto-san already, Hasegawa-san." A voice came from the entrance of the door. A long blonde-hair, blue-eyed boy stood at the door. His very appearance gave off the words 'nobility' or 'foreigner'.

She pushed off me quick and stared at the noble blonde-haired person at the doorway.

"Ah," She wiped her face with her hand. "Tsukatani-kun, yes, I did."

"No, no, I told you already, call me Hinata, and drop the '-kun',"

He smiled. I looked at his HUD, it said his Persona was Penthesilea of the Empress Arcana. Empress, as in feminine? What language is his Persona? It doesn't sound like English.

"I wanted to talk to you about that event on the roof and the opening tutorial."

"Talk." I said.

"Ah, yes. During that event, a similar or the same creature attacked multiple dorms in the Iwatodai area. All of the dorms managed to defeat the enemy but a fraction of residents were taken down by it…therefore…erased. Hasegawa and Hajime gave me the run-down of what you did, but I wanted to hear from you."

"I put a gun to my head and shot it. That thing that came out of me was my Persona, Orpheus." I said.

"Where did you receive such a tool?"

"The gun? She had it."

"And where did you find it, Hasegawa?" Hinata asked her.

"In the level before the roof, there's a room with a giant monitor. In the middle of the room was a table. It had three suitcases; all of them had the same gun inside." She said, looking away from the door to the mirror next to it.

"I see. I believe we found this "Tartarus" place that that Suzuki person spoke of. I think we should conduct an investigation, bringing along Yamamoto-san."

"Where?" Hasegawa asked.

"During the tutorial, I was not warped right away; I was at the school known as "Gekkokan". The school turned into a massive green tower that leaked some red liquid from high places." He spoke. He paused, swallowed the excess saliva in his mouth and spoke again.

"You managed to beat that creature while we were all powerless. We think you would be a good leader."

"Who is this we? I don't know **_any_** of you people here. I didn't ask to be stuck in this game. I just only wanted to play this to curve my boredom." I said, my voice deepening.

"…That's the same for all of us, _Yahikkun_." A voice said above me. Hajime.

_He's right._ Maybe, with this power I could…Maybe with them…I could mean something to someone again. "Fine, I'll do it. Hey, don't call me that."

"I like that name, Yahikkun." Hasegawa said.

"It's Yamamoto Yahiko." I said.

"Shima Hajime, nice to meet you." He said.

"Hasegawa Nanami, nice to meetcha!" She said.

"My name is Tsukatani Hinata, it is a pleasure."

"Well, I think we should get to know the rest of the people left in the dorm since people from other dorms can't come in contact with ours." Hajime said.

"Why can't we?" I asked.

"The quick-travel system sends you to the dorm that you came from. If we leave the dorm right now and walk a certain distance, you reach an invisible wall. Options will show asking you where you want to go. Such as, paulownia mall (the place where that kid was), the school, a strip mall, a train station, and a shrine."

"I see. Think rationally, you all," I said rudely. "First, we should hold an assembly for those who aren't NPCs in the dorm. We should also attend school so we don't become NPCs. The day after tomorrow, we should go to Tartarus. I suspect people might've gone already. How does it work, though? Well, we'll see."

In the top left corner of my HUD, After School shifted to evening. Outside, the sky darkened. "It's getting late, huh? I should go start making dinner." Hinata said before walking off. "Dude, wait for me!" Hajime said as he jumped off the top bunk. His health went down from 97 to 95. Nanami and I were alone.

"Thanks again, Yamamoto-kun." She said sweetly.

I stared into her big green eyes. My eyes were reflected in them.

She leaned in, closer, closer, ever closer. She placed her right hand on top of my left.

I stared blankly, unknowing what she was attempting to do. Her lips inched closer, I inched back. I put my hand in front of her face.

"Stop messing around. It's over now, so get out." I said rudely.

"Aw~! You're no fun, Yahikkun!" She said femininely.

She stood up and walked towards the door. Before she exited, I could swear that I saw a smile on her face. Not a happy smile but a smile that looked like it was plotting something.

_What the hell was wrong with that girl?_ I thought to myself. As I lay on the bed, I kept hearing a weird noise in my midsection. The scent of cooked fish permeated the dorm.

Dammit.

* * *

><p>419/09 Evening

"Hey, everyone who's stuck in this game, make your way to the fourth floor and sit down and wait!" A rough voice said outside of the room.

The NPCs did not react to the voice but players did. People of various appearances stepped in and took a seat. They had a different look than the people who were forced to be NPCs. Their faces had actual emotion and smoother movements. Around twenty five players were in the room. Seats were taken up in the room so some had to stand.

"Let us begin this meeting. First, we ask that everyone must participate with us in order for us to beat the game. If you do not want to, you may leave right now." Hinata said.

At that point, around seven or so players had walked out with similar expressions on their face.

"Any more? None? Okay, now let us begin. We are the Persona users of the S.E.E.S. dorm. I want to build members so we go to Tartarus." Hinata continued.

"What's Tartarus?" A preppy sounding girl asked.

"Considering that this game was released under the genre of 'RPG', we can assume that it is this game's dungeon." Hinata answered.

"Where's Tartarus at, anyways?" A boy with a scar on his left eye said.

"At approximately midnight, the school known as 'Gekkokan' becomes Tartarus."

"So, how do we summons 'personas'?" A girl with long black waist-length hair said.

"If you could do the honors, Yamamoto-san."

I walked over to the table and picked up a gun like object from one of the suitcases.

"You put this on your head, pull the trigger, and your Persona comes out." I said lazily.

"Very well put, Yamamoto-san. In any case, I would like to begin exploration of the tower in order to beat this game. If you are willing to put your life on the line…state your name, persona, and Arcana.

"Excuse me, why are Arcanas necessary to be known?" Someone asked.

"I think that people of the same Arcana may have similar abilities or attributes. Without any more interruptions, begin." Hinata said with finality.

"I'm Uemura Shiori, my Arcana is the Chariot, my Persona is Palladion." A girl with orange dyed hair said.

"Next." Going to the left was the next person.

"My name is Tanamura Ishida, My Persona is Forneus, My Arcana is the Emperor." A long black haired boy said.

"..Ishida...? That name sounds familiar…" I thought aloud. Why am I thinking like that? That's a common name in Japan.

"I'm Shima Hajime, Arcanum..uh, Arcana is Magician. My Persona is…damn how do you pronounce this…Herumiisu? Hermes! Yeah Hermes!"

"I'm Nakamura Nishiki, my Arcana is Justice, my Persona is Nemesis." An orange haired boy said. His hair was down to his neck and messy.

"I'm..I'm Matsuhita Kanami…My p-persona is Lucia, and uh, my Arcana is Priestess…" She was cute. Her hair was a nice shade of brown. She looked timid but she looked as if she could become strong.

"Ichigawa Kyoji. Arcana's Strength. Persona, Cerberus." A black haired boy said. He looked scary but calm all the while.

"I'm Higashiyama Naohiro. My Persona is Polydeuces of the Emperor Arcana." A buff boy with blonde hair with black streaks said. He exuded anger from himself.

"I'm his sister, Higashiyama Asuka. My Persona is Castor, of the Hierophant." His sister looked normal and nonviolent. She also was shorter than him. Shorter than me as well.

"I'm Kusanaki Eri. My Persona is Lilim of the Devil Arcana. Let's have fun!"

No way. It can't be. It was my friend, Eri. That same girl who was my best friend in middle school. The same girl who abandoned me along with an Ishida. I began to get angry but I swallowed it and reviewed others who spoke. The devil, huh? That's fitting.

"I'm Hasegawa Nanami, my Arcana is the Lovers, my persona; Io." She said. I'm still curious about that smile she gave me. A few more went and then finally it was my turn.

"I'm Yamamoto Yahiko. My Arcana is the Fool," Most faces froze with shock or confusion.

"My Persona is Orpheus. I believe I was the first to summon one. According to Hinata over there, I'm your leader."

"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Tsukatani Hinata. My Arcana is the Empress. My Persona is Penthesilea. In any case, we conduct our first exploration tomorrow at Midnight. We depart as soon as the game's time shifts to late night. Wait, you said 'Fool'? Meaning you can use multiple Personas?" He asked.

"I'm not sure…We'll see tomorrow."

After that, people asked questions. During that time, I left out of the room. As I reached the steps, a female called me.

"Yahiko-kun! Hey wait!"

It was Kusanaki Eri, the former love of my life, who was also my best friend.

"You're looking good, how long has it been since…" She trailed off.

"Since you abandoned me? You and Ishida…! Since entering high school, you and him thought that you were hot shit and left me by my lonesome…Well, that's fine…I didn't mind it anyways. I remember that day that you left me…It was just me and Ishida eating lunch by ourselves. And then he left too. You two became popular and…! Damn it…Now we're stuck in this game of death…One problem after another, eh? Whatever…don't bring that face of yours around me." I gritted my teeth enough to drop my health down by one.

As I walked down the stairs, I heard a slight 'Yahikkun…' and a sob.

Sorry, Eri-chan.

* * *

><p><strong>Please Review, I'm desperate for advice on this story! I'll take stranger reviews as well!<strong>

**I know Yahiko seems heartless, but whatever happened in his past brings this Yahiko to the present.**

**If you have questions, leave a review or PM me :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey~! This is TheJesterArcana here! This chapter is dialogue and plot heavy~!**

**Also, darker than usual~! **

**Don't skip around...!**

**Make sure to review~!**

**-TheJesterArcana**

**Chapter 3: A Wake up Call to Reality**

* * *

><p><em>420/09 –Early Morning-_

As I arrived to school, I overheard a conversation between two NPC students. The pair of

"Good morning, Suzutsuki-san. I'm always so drowsy on Monday mornings…" One of the gossiping students said.

"Yeah, me too, Arisu. The only thing you can do is to sleep through first period. Wait…tomorrow is when we have morning assembly!" The listening student said.

"Ughhh…I'm too lazy for that. I'll just pretend I didn't hear…" The gossiping student said.

"_An event?" _I thought. Wait, these are NPCs, right? So, these are people like us that can't escape…But unlike us…they don't have the "potential" to use personas…All because of that damn Shinichi. These girls had their life stripped away…No, all of us, now a shell of our former selves. The best thing we can do now is try and beat this game. The first step is to investigate that Tartarus. But what threat lies in there? Is it true that if we die here, we die in real life?

As I stepped into Gekkokan, the first bell rung. The girls and I entered the school.

_-Lunch Time-_

I was sitting in my desk dazing off as lunchtime began. I stared away at the NPCs. They seem so…happy. They seem so…normal. Even though this game takes place a little more than twenty years in the past, they seem like the schools from my time. People, sharing lunch boxes, or boys playing portable games…I'm kind of jealous, really.

Hajime, who sat a few seats away from me grinned goofily and poked me with a dull pencil. "So, which girls do you like…?" He asked.

"None." I stared blankly at him. Eri appeared in my mind for a second.

"Oh, so you roll that way, eh?" He said coyly.

"Are you trying to piss me off?" I asked, staring into his soul.

Hasegawa Nanami walked over and put her hands on my shoulders.

"Hey, Hacchan, Yahikkun, what's up?" I felt her odd but sweet presence over my back.

"Yahiko bats for the other team." Hajime said.

"Huh?" Nanami lightened her grip on my shoulders.

The sliding door north east of the class opened and Tsukatani Hinata walked in.

"Can I have a minute with you three? Come to the lounge when you get back to the dorm. I have something to tell everyone." Hinata said.

"Oh, are we gonna have that talk?" Hajime asked.

"I'll keep the details for later. See you." And exit stage northeast for Hinata.

"Damn, he didn't waste time leaving…" Hajime said.

"Yeah, why did he leave so fast? Lunch isn't over 'til…"

The bell rang.

* * *

><p><em>-Evening-<em>

"I see that everyone is here. Yesterday night, after the meeting, Naohiro-san witnessed someone enter Tartarus, actually not just someone, but a group of people. We can assume another dorm had a similar idea to ours. I would like to commence the operation tonight at midnight."

"A few of 'em had weapons too. I think I might know where they got them from." Naohiro said.

"Where, exactly?" Hinata said.

"There's a store with a police officer in it in the same place where that kid was at. At least, that's what I heard." The blonde and black haired Naohiro said.

"I see. Well, tomorrow we should visit. Does everyone have their evoker?" Hinata asked.

"Evoker? What's that?" Eri-chan asked.

"According to the items page in your options, Eri-chan," _Shit, I called her –chan! _

"It's a 'key item' that's used to summon your Persona." I finished. I hope that pause wasn't noticeable.

"So then, Yahikkun, were those guns on the table Evokers?" _Shit, she called me –kun!_

I could swear from the corner of my eyesight I could see Nanami's lips move.

I shook my head a yes.

She opened her inventory and scrolled down. "Oh, I have one!" She exclaimed. She pressed a button and when she did, a text box appeared.

"Only useable in the Dark Hour." She read.

"Is that right?" Nakamura Nishiki said as he adjusted his glasses. _When and where did he get glasses?_

"Anybody feel scared?" Tanamura Ishida said.

"Don't worry! You guys got me on your side!" Hajime shouted.

"Oh, I feel so~ saved." Uemura Shiori said, smiling at Hajime.

_-Late Night-_

"So, where's this Tartarus? I thought it was the school." Hajime asked.

"Just wait." Ichigawa Kyouji. _That's suspicious…_

"Yes, just be patient…It's almost midnight." Hinata said.

As Tsukatani Hinata stared at the moon glistening in the sky, the world turned green. The school began to enlarge. It broke off at various sections and became something unrecognizable. A red liquid seeped from different floors of the tower. Gekkokan became Tartarus. From the base, it would appear that Tartarus ascended to the moon.

* * *

><p><em>-Dark Hour-<em>

"_This _is Tartarus; the tower that appears at midnight, or at least according to the game; midnight." Hinata spoke.

"Tower…? What happened to the school!? What is this?" Hajime asked.

"We can assume that once enough time passes, everything returns to normal." Hinata replied.

"This…it's kinda overwhelming, right, Yahiko-kun?" Eri-chan said.

"_You don't have the right to speak to me yet." _I thought. I ignored her question and opened the gates to the school, which were now the gates to Tartarus.

A large door stood in the middle of Tartarus. I pushed it open and so it did. Inside was a spacious area with a checkerboard pattern floor. There were no walls but instead seemed to be some sort of bottomless pit. If one were to drop, it would mean instant death. Forward from me was a set of stairs.

"It appears that this is just the entrance…Perhaps the real Tartarus is beyond whatever is at the top of the steps…? What in the world…?" Hinata said.

"What's the matter?" Shiori asked.

"Nothing…It's more of a…For some reason, I can see the layout of the floors…"

A navigator. This is typical in RPGs. He is like our mapper.

"I have the same feeling…" Matsuhita Kanami said in a whisper. _How long as she been here?_

"So you're both navis, huh?" Nishiki adjusted his glasses once more.

"If so, then it would be wise that you two should stay behind and direct us…actually it would be wise if only a select few of us went inside…Maybe four; or maybe squads?" I thought aloud.

"Yeah, that seems about right…" Higashiyama Asuka said.

"Then what's the plan, leader?" Ishida asked. _Does he recognize me? Is this _my_ Ishida?_

I searched for the most suitable for exploration. I picked my four and selected a competent leader for the next four.

"Including myself, I select Hasegawa Nanami, Shima Hajime, and Uemura Shiori. For Squad B, I select Higashiyama Naohiro as leader. Party members are Nakamura Nishiki, Kusanaki Eri, and Tanamura Ishida." I said.

"What about Asuka? And that Ichigawa guy?" Naohiro said.

"It wouldn't be right to have more than four." I said flatly.

"Well she's my sister." He said.

"Ask me if I care." I said.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" His breath was hot as he inched closer to my face. I scrolled to my settings for the evoker. It spawned along with a holster onto my waist.

"Moreover, all of you, can you do it?" I asked everyone as I put the muzzle of the 'evoker' on my right temple. I really was asking them if they could summon their persona but it came out more as 'can you shoot yourself in the head'.

"What he means is: can you summon your persona without trouble?" Hinata corrected me.

"Without this thing, you're most likely screwed. If there are more enemies like the one like two  
>weeks ago, we are in for some shit." I said emotionlessly as I placed the evoker back into its holster and proceeded up the white stairs. "What are you waiting for…?" I asked my four. They followed me as we walked through a portal of sorts.<p>

We arrived in a hallway. It seemed to go some ways before having a turn. It was green tinted, blood seemed to seep out of the walls, and windows onto the checkerboard patterned floor. It rather looked like Gekkokan's halls but without doors for openings into classrooms.

"It's kinda scary in here…Yahi- Yamamoto-kun; can you stay close to me?" Nanami said. Why'd I pick her again?

"It's kinda cool in here!" Hajime said as he looked around.

"_Hello, can you all hear me? Yamamoto-san and Higashiyama-san?" _

"What the hell?! Why's Tsukatani in my thoughts?" Hajime said.

"That's good. I suppose this is my Persona, Penthesilea's ability. I can communicate with you through her. For some reason, I see an orange dot moving around about three yards away from you. I think it's an enemy. If you could, would you please take a look?"

And so we took nine steps forward and something was crawling in the green darkness of the hallway. I inched close ignoring a warning from Hajime.

The word "Bufu" appeared above my vision. With great haste, I jumped back. A spear of ice thrust itself into the roof of the hall. "What…is that…?" Uemura finally spoke.

"_It is an enemy…It…split into two?! Two enemies, defeat them!" _I thought I was the leader.

The mass of darkness turned and looked at me. It had a mask on its face with the Roman numeral one on the north middle was just like the one on the roof but this one had used an ice spell, unlike the large one. It stretched its arm as the words "Slash Attack" appeared above it. It attacked me, knocking me into the others. Where the scratch was looked like a graphical error of the inside of my body…Shit, I should be more careful…There is the risk of actually dying…

"C'mon Hermes!" Hajime said as the sound of glass shattering echoed in the thin hall. A black figure with bronze wing-shaped attachments conjoined on his hands and legs and a metallic sharp helmet appeared behind him. The Persona flew around in the green air before slashing across the creature with its leg-arm wing. The mass of black disappeared.

"Don't…Don't count me out, Shima-kun!" Shiori shouted as she put the evoker to her temple.

"P-Palladion!" A being wearing a light blue dress and gold frillings emerged from Shiori. Instead of a head at the top of the persona, there was a spear.

Palladion thrust itself into the crawling creature, only to miss terribly. When it missed, a red 'X' inside of a diamond appeared and said 'miss'.

I jumped to my feet and put the evoker onto my head.

"Orpheus, give me strength." I said as I pulled the trigger. Once more, my thoughts disappeared. My head felt empty, all the while oddly satisfying. Orpheus removed his lyre from his back and rubbed the strings. The strings lit up and shot off a small fireball to the creature that Shiori missed. Orpheus hit and an explosion like shape with the English word 'weak' inside appeared. After the flames died down, the enemy was gone.

"Aww…I missed…" Shiori muttered. "That's cool, Shio-chan, it happens to the best of us!" Hajime said, attempting to cheer her up.

_Salt…?_ I thought in my head.

_***Shio means salt in Japanese.**_

"_Great job. Squad B had a similar battle, but those four are ahead of you. They are on the third floor. You should attempt to get higher; I sense something odd on the 10__th__ floor."_

"Understood, Hinata."

Therefore, we climbed, every floor we got, we grinded, until we reached the 10th. When we got there, we spawned in a spacious room. It was deadly quiet. There were no enemies around that we could see.

"That's strange…I could've sworn that Ichigawa was ahead of everyone else."

"Ichigawa? Why him?"

"_He left the base floor after Higashiyama's squad needed assistance. He said he was going to assist them but instead proceeded past them and went to the 10__th__ floor."_

How could he survive ten floors of that? What is he? A super gamer? A god? A cheater? Where are the beta testers for this game? The fact that he told us to wait for Tartarus to appear still makes him suspect.

I quieted my thoughts and walked around the empty room. "Hey, Yamamoto-kun, look at this!" Nanami said as she pointed to some odd machine in a gap of a wall.

"_If possible, could someone test that to see if it works?" _

I placed my palm on it and it transferred us to the base of the tower. "Welcome back, you four." Hinata said endearingly.

"…! Umm…I found Ichigawa-kun! He…He's on the 10th floor, he's moving around a lot…He might be in danger!" Kanami spoke a lot. A text box appeared in front of all of us.

**The Dark Hour will be over soon…**

I made a break for the transporter and so did the other three members of my squad. I selected floor 10 and quick traveled there. Before I ran to the exit, I equipped a one handed sword out of my inventory that I acquired from the fourth floor in a chest. Its name was "Shortsword" but it was of decent length.

To my left was a turn and so I ran with the three teammates of mine following. In front of us was Ichigawa Kyouji engaging battle with three hand shaped creatures named "Dancing Hand". "Dammit, dammit, dammit, why isn't anything working?" He shouted despairingly. "I beat those birds, so, so why!" The enemies were hands covered by a pink glove-like clothing. Where the wrist was supposed to be was a head, just like the first shadow we faced on the second floor.

That's interesting…We found a floor that was spacious like this one…I believe it was floor 5.

Above the hand to my left was the word "Zio". Before I knew it, Kyouji was stuck by lightning that appeared from nowhere. A lightning icon appeared on top of his head and he did not move. Next was the middle who sauntered in front of Kyouji. Above it, in the Dancing Hand's HUD was the word "Strike Attack". The hand threw its body at Kyouji and flung him three feet down the hall. The word "Critical" and "1 More" appeared where his body was. The middle one took his turn again. As I watched, I saw that Ichigawa's health was dangerously low. It was 34/101.

"Ichigawa-kun, run!" Nanami shouted. He was knocked down, however, and could not get up.

Dammit, why can't I move? No…This is not my fault…he should've obeyed orders and assisted Naohiro…

The Dancing Hand from the middle stood in front of Ichigawa. "Use a recovery item!" Hajime shouted.

"I…I don't have any left…" Kyouji said weakly. He looked up to see the Dancing Hand. He made eye contact with it. He stared at it as if it was his Reaper.

…it seemed like minutes or hours. Maybe at the time when this happened, it seemed lengthy. The four of us watched and did nothing as the hand gazed over him. The words appeared over the hand. "Strike Attack". It hit Kyouji, knocking his body into a wall. The words "Immortal Object" appeared where his body hit. His health…his health…His health went into red…red…and then darkness. He was slumped over on the wall and stared at us woefully.

"…Damn…this is it? This…this game is a piece of shit…I want a…a…re…fund." His body began to break apart into tiny fluorescent light blue butterflies. His lips were moving but we could not hear him. The process increased speed until his head remained. He said something vulgar as his head disappeared.

"Ichigawa-kun? Ichi…gawa-kun? **Ichigawaaaaaa!**" Nanami screamed.

"…Suzuki said that if your hit points reach zero, you'll die, right? So…is Ichigawa…dead?" Shiori asked in a whisper."

"Holy…holy shit…!" Hajime exclaimed.

And I don't know what happened next, but to put it into words…I lost my shit.

I gripped my evoker tight enough for me to lose two points of health. I gritted my teeth, put the cold steel on my temple, and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. "Orpheus. Orpheus! Orpheus…!" Nothing happened. Orpheus did not appear.

"Orpheus…! I…I need you!" And he finally appeared. He roared through the speaker imbedded in its chest.

"Orpheus….Crush them…Mangle them…!" I shouted with ire. Orpheus burst in the direction of the one that killed Kyouji and hit the Dancing Hand repeatedly with the lyre until it disappeared in black smoke. "Behind you…Destroy it…!" And within two turns, the Dancing Hand on the left was defeated. The one on the left ran down the hall as Orpheus faded.

"Don't think you're going to get away from me…!" I tossed my one-handed sword into the air and summoned Orpheus one last time. "Batter up." I said. Orpheus swung his lyre against the handle of the spinning blade and it flew across the green hallway, splitting through the Dancing Hand's head and killing it.

Orpheus returned to me as I placed the Evoker into the holster on my waist. A few cards appeared in front of me, I selected one in order to remove it from my eyesight. I saw a room with chests in them and so I entered it.

**Revival Bead X2**

That was what was in the chest.

_That was what was in the chest…!_

That was all that was in that damn thing...

Nothing that would've saved Ichigawa.

We watched him...die.

We were allegorically his undertaker.

We stood there and watched him to his death.

"…I can't believe this, dude…" Hajime muttered.

"He…can't be…" Nanami muttered as well.

"We…could've…" Shiori mumbled.

"No...No, we could not. In battle, there should always be an awareness of the risk of death. His stupid mistake cost him his life and he was punished for it…" I said without emotion nor remorse.

"What…what is wrong with you?" Shiori said.

"You've gone crazy- wrong word, batshit." Hajime shouted at me.

"Use your **HEAD!** His death was his fault! Regardless, four hundred and thirty something have died! One more does _not_ make a difference. He should've did what he was told and back up Naohiro…!" My voice began to break but I cleared my throat.

I turned and faced my squad. They all looked the same…Depressed and tired. Shiori had tears in her polygons of eyes. We walked slowly towards the transporter and stopped. I touched it first, keeping my face stoic. We spawned at the first floor and Tsukatani Hinata welcomed us.

"So, how did the exploration go?" Asuka asked, standing close to Hinata.

"…" I began to open my mouth but…the words would not come out.

"Yamamoto-kun?" Eri-chan said my name. Apparently, Naohiro's team made it to floor ten after we defeated it because they were walking out of the transporter.

"Man, that's freakin' strange…there's a sword stickin' out of the ground in that big room…" Naohiro said.

"Normally, the Immortal Object warning would appear, but it's kind of like it's glitched through." Nishiki said as he adjusted his glasses.

"Hey, I got this arrow from a chest in there in that room...I could be like Ishida from that old manga!" Ishida said.

"I tried picking the sword up for me to use but it's super deep in the ground, ya know? It's like the sword in the stone~! Hey Yamamoto-kun...Why do you look like that? Why...why...are you crying?" Eri-chan said.

"What happened? Did you find Ichigawa-san, Yamamoto-san?" Hinata said, ignorant of what transpired.

"He's dead. Ichigawa Kyouji's dead, Hinata."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Another Ordeal**

* * *

><p>51/09 -_Early Morning-_

It's been more than a week since Ichigawa Kyouji died. The S.E.E.S. dorm seemed to be affected slightly by the death. It seemed to put a sinking fear of Tartarus in them. No one talked about the incident though. It just felt as though his presence disappeared. Then again, we all did not even know him. Still, it was disturbing that no one was that much concerned that someone died. Then again, what merits me proof that he did not die, but instead was logged out of the game and returned to life?

During this period, we have come to learn things. Those creatures in the dungeon of Tartarus are called 'Shadows' and are this RPG's basic enemies. I, myself learned that I had more than one Persona. I had two: Orpheus and Pixie. When did I acquire this Persona? Was it when I went to Tartarus two weeks ago? The developers notes released for the month of May claimed that an 'incident' was about to take place. What does that mean?

In any case, I arrived at the school. The May weather was slightly warmer than April. The heat felt almost real, I nearly believed it to be Japan's spring. The cherry blossoms were blooming and were cascading down in front of the school. I still had an unusual sense of distrust. Something was about to happen, but what? Is it another incident like when we first began the game?

As I thought these thoughts, I unknowingly met Hasegawa Nanami.

"Mornin', Yahiko-kun. It's getting warmer, huh? Then again, it's May in-game," She spoke.

"It's amazing how time flies, right?" She asked.

"I guess." I said, looking straight ahead.

"A lot of things have been going on…First we're stuck in the game…Then people without 'strong minds' or whatever are forced to become NPCs and then…Ichigawa…And we can't avoid it either. If we don't go to Tartarus…Who knows what will happen…"

"…I've got you all's back." I said, looking away to my left.

* * *

><p><em>-After School-<em>

Hajime and I were chatting casually when Nanami walked over.

"So…when are we gonna go to the police station?" She asked.

"Huh? Whaddya mean?" Hajime said.

"You don't know? The police station is where weapons can be bought. We got a decent amount of money from those treasure chests…Maybe we can get some from there."

"You still wanna go in that place? After what happened? Well…screw it, I'll go." Hajime said with resignation.

"I think the Higashiyama twins, Eri-chan, and Kanami-chan will come with us." Nanami said.

"What about Tsu-, Hinata?" Hajime asked.

"Nah…What's wrong? Can't say Tsukatani?" Nanami asked.

"It's…complicated…" Hajime said.

We left the school and quick traveled to Paulownia Mall.

"There's Naohiro-kun and Asuka-chan right there." Nanami said as we spawned in the wide open mall area. Damn, this place is huge. Ah, I see, this was the place we were warped to where Shinichi Shizuoka gave the tutorial. Paulownia Mall had multiple fountains and benches and many stores. From what I could see, there was a coffee shop, an accessory shop, an Antique shop, a pharmacy, a club, and an Arcade.

"Ooh, maybe we should look around~!" Nanami said, gazing around at the various stores.

"In your free time, maybe. For now, let us meet with those two." I said, emotionlessly and began walking in their direction.

"Hey." Asuka said quietly.

"How's it hangin'? Huh, no Eri or Kanami?" Naohiro asked.

"Well, now that I think about it, we didn't stay and wait for them…Ah, crap, should we go back?" I asked.

"Nah, they could just go to the dorm if they wanted to…Since we're all here, let's go in."

And so we did and when we entered, there was a boy and a girl talking to a stern-faced man who was behind what appeared to be bulletproof glass. "Here you are. Thank you."

They looked similar, facial wise, but everything else was a contrast. The boy had orange-red hair down to the nape of his neck and had light brown eyes. Those two combinations are odd for a Japanese person…Is he mixed with foreign blood or is his hair dyed?

The girl on the other hand had long black hair and light blue eyes. She gave off the presence of coldness. She was pretty but her skin was pale white. She talked quietly to the boy next to her. They both wore the Gekkokan uniform. "..ri…Can I look at it…?" She spoke.

"Sure, I'm gonna look at mine too." He said, louder than her.

They both went to their menu and selected something and weapons spawned in their hands. The boy had a one-handed sword that was around the length of his body. The girl spawned a rapier into her hands. "…teach me, remember?" The girl spoke. I couldn't hear what she said before that portion.

"I will, I promised, didn't I? Let's get going." The redhead said.

They turned around and looked at our group. The redhead's cheerful face turned to anger and mild disgust. He stared at me with complete hatred before walking towards the exit. He stopped and held the pale girl's hand. That gave me time to scan them. Can anybody else see his or her names and Personas as I can? Or is this just a part of the fool's special ability?

The redhead's name was Aozora Akari. Level seventeen, damn, none of us got that high yet. His Persona was Amaterasu. Amaterasu…the sun goddess? Like…Izanagi's Amaterasu? Isn't that like…mocking religion and considered heresy? No, wait, they're legends and myth. His Arcana was the Sun…As fitting as that sounds, what does the Sun stand for? I should ask Hinata when I get back.

The pale girl's name was Aozora Tsukiko…With a name like "Tsukiko" I can assume that- Oh look, her Persona is Tsukiyomi, the moon god. Her Arcana was the moon. Level sixteen.

They walked out holding hands.

"I love you, Akari-nii-sama…"

"I love you too, Tsukiko-nee…"

Their heads got closer and…they kissed. It was not on the peck on the cheek, no; it was on the lips.

The kiss lasted for around thirty seconds. With every passing second, the kiss became more and more passionate. I saw something pink within the kiss. Is…is that…tongue? After around thirty seconds or so, a black bar with white text stating "Ethic Code Warning" appeared in front of their eyes. Their lips released each other, only to leave behind a long trail of saliva connecting both of their mouths before it broke and fell on the ground. The redhead looked back at us…no it was more like me; smiling, before they walked away with hands held.

"…What the hell...?" Naohiro asked with a shocked expression on his face.

"Dude…that was…kinda…hot." Hajime said.

"Did they just call each other brother and sister?" Nanami asked, biting her lip.

"Incest…in the game…? You think…it's allowed?" Asuka asked.

As Asuka and Naohiro are brother and sister, moreover, twins, we all unconsciously looked at Naohiro after Asuka asked that question. He noticed and then looked at his feet but then shot me a look that I think Nanami noticed because she looked at me right after.

"Hey, remember what we came for." I said as I walked to the counter.

"Hello Persona users. I know what you're here for." The stern man said. Above his head said:

Vendor: Officer Kurosawa, specializes in weapons

Our lead was apparently right on the mark.

A list appeared in front of each of us.

"You're here for weapons, right? Pick one, and make sure you have enough yen." The stern Kurosawa-san said.

I selected a one-handed sword and paid one thousand yen, leaving me with one thousand and sixty two left. Meanwhile, Hajime picked up a two handed sword. Asuka purchased a rapier and Nanami bought a bow.

"Hey, what about the others at the dorm? Won't they need some weapons, too?" Asuka asked.

"Well…I suppose. Let me think…"

"Well, I don't know about Nishiki, but since he has so many N's in his name, get him a naginata. Um, for Ishida, a bow since he was always thinking he was that Ishida from that one manga…Kanami, well I believe she has to stay at the safe zone on the first floor. Hinata seems…more battle oriented than she is, I would say since her gives off a more extravagant personality, I would assume a rapier for him. Eri…well she and I were on the Kendo club in middle school, so a one handed sword seems appropriate. Shiori…she's a wild card to me. They have guns here, maybe she should be the only one who should wield it since her Persona resists pierce. In the event that she does accidently shoot herself in the head, she won't die…"

"You know Eri and Ishida?"

"That…that makes sense…A lot, actually. Except, the one thing is off with your statement: there is only one gun that looks like the evoker. It's the Albireo gun. Other than that, from reading the descriptions, they look to be rifles and grenade launchers." Asuka said.

"Oh, my mistake," I said. "I can assume we all have extra yen left over, right?" Therefore, they did and we bought weapons for our party members…We sold it at double the price to them, though…

5/2/09

* * *

><p><em>-Early Morning-<em>

As I walked through the gates of the school, I heard a pair of girls talking about something. I believe they were the same girls I heard talking that one day before. I wonder if it's anything trivial.

"Golden Week starts tomorrow. Have you got any plans, Suzutsuki-chan?" Wait, before, didn't she call her –san?

"Eh…not really, Arisu. But I'm not gonna miss tomorrow's show!" The listening Suzutsuki said.

"Oh! You mean Tanaka's show, right? Whenever I hear his jingle, I can't resist buying _something_…I never miss it on Sunday afternoons. I'll probably run out of yen!" Arisu said.

The first bell had rang.

* * *

><p><em>-After School-<em>

After school, I went exploring Iwatodai thoroughly. In my exploration, I found that there was a strip mall near the shrine. On the bottommost floor, there was a bookstore there.

'_Might as well kill time in there…'_ I thought to myself.

When I went in, I saw an old couple in the back behind a counter. They saw me.

"…Welcome to Bookworms." He said.

"How many guests? Smoking or non-smoking?"

"Hm? Excuse me, but may I see that leaf in your hand…" He kept talking.

A leaf spawned in my hand…It didn't look like it came from a tree native to Japan. Then again, this game _does_ take place in the past. Wait, who's leaf is this and how did I get it?

The old man is interested in the Persimmon Leaf.

Would you like to show it to him?

The dialogue box said.

Another appeared presenting me choices.

-Show it to him

-Don't show it to him

I tapped the first and the old man spoke again.

"Oh! Is this a leaf from that persimmon tree? It must have grown quite a bit to produce such splendid leaves…Wait, so you didn't come here to buy books? Did you come here just to show us this?"

I was presented with two more choices. One positive; one negative.

-"That's right."

-"Um, no…"

I spoke saying the second option.

"Nah-uh, I don't believe you. I knew right from the start that you're a kind young man!" He showered me with praise. How would you know when this is my first seeing of you? Is he an NPC?

"I've been meaning to go see that tree for a while now. But I'm not sure if these stumpy old legs will make it that far…"

_Was that a pun?_

"…That wasn't meant to be a pun. You know, "stumpy," "tree stump." Catch my drift?"

"Very clever, dear." The old woman said in the back.

"Allow me to introduce my wife Mitsuko. I'm Bunkichi. If you don't mind, would you tell us your name?" And I did. "So your name is Yamamoto Yahiko…Then, we'll call you Yacchan from now on!"

The dialogue box appeared again.

Bunkichi and Mitsuko seem happy you told them about the persimmon tree. You got to know the old couple a little better.

…!?

At that moment, my vision of the store darkened and a loud glass-breaking sound rung in my ear.

A mysterious voice rings in your head.

And so a voice did, a deep one, just like when I first summoned Orpheus.

"_**Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Hierophant Arcana…**_**" **It spoke.

A card appeared in my vision. It was blue with a large arrow in the dead center. A rounded triangle was over it. On the topmost part of the card were two keys one pointed up while one pointed down. The card went into my chest.

You have established a new Social Link!

It's getting dark out.

"We're open every day except Sunday. Come visit us if you get bored."

After saying goodbye to the two, you decide to go back to the dorm.

…I'll have to steer away from those two…What are these 'Social Links'? Are they another one of the fool's benefits?

* * *

><p><em>-Evening-<em>

When I arrived at the dorm, Hinata, Hajime, Nanami, Eri, and Naohiro were in the lounge sitting around the table. The students who were turned into NPCs seemed to walk around the dorm and sometimes start conversations with each other. I wonder about the people who didn't want to go into Tartarus…Do they know what we do?

"Sup, Yamamoto? We got a three-day weekend starting tomorrow! I tried to holler at some females if they wanted to hang but only dudes wanted to hang…Dude, I don't want a polish party…" Hajime said.

"I do not mean to interrupt, but you should be aware that midterms are coming. Remember, in the event that you fail, there is a chance you will be turned into an NPC. You are a valuable member of the team, so we cannot afford to lose you. Please use your time wisely." Hinata said.

The majority of the lounge sighed loudly. Even the NPCs did such.

"Hey, you know those kids we saw yesterday? They're in me and Asuka's class. They tongue down each other in there too and the teacher doesn't even notice!" Naohiro said.

"Gross…that's…Just gross." Nanami said.

"Yesterday…? Who got tongued down?" Eri-chan asked.

"It was some dude and his sister! His sister even called him –sama!" Hajime said.

"Do you think they were NPCs or a part of the game?" Hinata asked.

"No, they have Personas and were purchasing weapons at the Police Station." I interjected.

"How…how do you know that?" Hinata asked, seeming surprised.

"I can see people's arcana, Persona, and level. Can't you?" He shook his head a no.

"Maybe it's another one of your special abilities." Hajime said.

"But damn…that was freakin' weird…The officer didn't even say nothin' about them kissin' either. I guess he's one o' those NPCs too." Naohiro said.

"…It was hot though." Hajime muttered.

"That's creepy, Hajime." Uemura Shiori shouted from the kitchen.

"You-You heard that?!" He cried.

* * *

><p><em>~Dark Hour~<em>

I lied on my bed reading the developers note. Unbeknownst to me, the world changed color. It tinted green and eerie. My room seemed darker than usual.

"Hi, how've you been?" A light voice said.

I jumped off my bed and backed against the door.

It was a boy wearing striped pajamas sat at the edge of my bed. No, that's no boy, that's Shinichi Shizuoka. He chuckled with his child-like voice.

"What…the hell? Shinichi…Shizuoka!" I became enveloped in rage that consumed my confusion. In an instant, I spawned my sword and evoker. "Hajime! Prepare for battle!" I shouted.

"What kind of welcome is that? Besides, he can't hear you," The boy suddenly teleported to Hajime's bunk on the top. He swung his legs.

"This is a separate instance of your dorm…essentially, not your dorm. But it's still in the game, though. It's like you have two dorms…Hey _Yacchan_, wanna know why I'm here?" He said, grinning. His eyes glowed blue in comparison to the green around us.

"NO! I'm going to kill you! And…And put a stop to this…!" I shouted and bit down hard.

I put my evoker on my left temple and pulled the trigger. "Orpheus~! Agi!" I shouted.

A fireball came from the spectral being's lyre and shot toward Shinichi Shizuoka. He stuck his hand out and the fireball disappeared and became nothing. I stood there dumbfounded but then I regained my composure and threw my sword at him. It pierced his chest and was stuck there. He kept speaking.

"One week from now, there will be a full moon…Be careful. A new ordeal awaits you."

The sword slid out of his chest and fell onto the floor with a loud bang. It left behind a gaping digital hole in the child. "Why won't you die? What's your purpose for this game? Tell me!" I shouted.

"No use yelling, it's beyond your control…Now can we discuss this…Ordeal?" He seemed to be smitten on this 'ordeal' thing.

"What…kind of ordeal are you referring to?" I asked, still clutching the evoker. Orpheus disappeared into my body.

"You will encounter one of _them_." He hinted. He did not outright say what 'them' is or are.

"You must prepare for the ordeal, but time is of the essence. I'm sure you're aware of that, of course." Shizuoka disappeared and reappeared at the foot of my bed.

"I'll come see you again when it's over. Goodbye for now. Oh, hey, actually, I have something else to tell you. Somebody in your little band is missing…Who is going to play the piano now? Good luck next week, Ya-hi-ko-kun."

Shinichi Shizuoka disappeared. For a split second, I could have sworn that I saw that Persona that I summoned…Not summoned; the one that split Orpheus in half and beat that shadow in the tutorial phase of the game. Full moon, is that like an event in the game? Now that I think about it…Wasn't that time last month when I fought that big Shadow had a full moon?

* * *

><p>-59/09-

It's been a week after I encountered Shinichi. During Golden Week, the team and I took our chances with Tartarus. We only went to the floors that we have already visited and steered clear from any bosses or red Shadows. I have not told anyone about me meeting him or of this "Ordeal". But is it right for me to keep it away from them? It seemed like it was specifically meant for me as their leader. Regardless, I have to prepare for this "Ordeal". When I arrived at the school, I met Naohiro at the gates.

"Hey, Yamamoto. How's it goin'? You been trainin' at Tartarus?" He asked.

"Not at all…Why?" I asked. It seemed odd because it was as if we all swore off Tartarus after Ichigawa dying.

"…It might be just me, ya know…I feel like somethin or someone's missing…It's not that guy who died…It feels like someone we know…I can't really get these damn words out but you know what I mean, right?" He asked with his rough voice.

"I think I understand…" I said as we walked through the doors of Gekkokan.

* * *

><p><em>-After School-<em>

A text box appeared in front of me as I turned to face Hajime.

There will be a full moon tonight. It is the day you were forewarned about. You wonder if something will happen. You should probably head back to the dorm just to be on the safe side.

I was teleported to the dorm and everything faded to black.

When I awoke, it was the Dark Hour.

_-Dark Hour-_

A loud noise had I awoke me, I believe. It was an alarm of some sort. Or maybe the game preset me to awake at that time. Either or, the alarm woke Hajime and I up. We proceeded to the fourth floor and entered the room where we received our evokers.

"We're here! What's going on?" Eri shouted.

"Where is it, I'll take it out!" Tanamura Ishida said.

"I've detected a Shadow outside of the dungeon, Tartarus…I don't really know for sure, but it's possible that we've got another large on our hands. We have to destroy any of them we see, and as quickly as possible before the Dark Hour ends. The NPCs are not aware of the Dark Hour's existence. However, if they are killed, there will be trouble, for the game, and in the real world. That can't happen." Hinata said.

"In other words, we have to take some out? I needed some training, anyways." Nishiki said, adjusting his glasses… Where did he find those?

"Sigh…Nishiki-Senpai, this isn't a game…" Ishida said.

"I want everyone to go on this mission…Yamamoto-san, you're in charge." Hinata pointed to me.

"Him again…?" Ishida muttered.

"We're counting on you, Yamamoto." Hinata spoke.

"Why me, again?" I asked.

"Who cares? They chose you, right? It's always like that…" Ishida said, louder.

"Ishida…?" I looked at him in the eyes…I…need to talk to him.

"Looks like you're stuck playing leader again just like when we were kids…You and your terrible luck." He said with obvious jealousy in his voice.

"There's no time for this now. Where's the Shadow, Hinata?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Iwatodai Station…I think it's on the monorail! There are also people nearby. Not NPCs but maybe other Persona-users…We should make haste and back them up."

"Let's do this now…For this operation, I select Nanami, Hajime, and…Ishida. Naohiro will lead the second squad...with Nishiki, Eri, Shiori, and Asuka. Damn, are we missing someone…? Whatever, let's begin."

We quick traveled to the station and walked along the tracks. The tracks were covered with various burgs and pillars of ice. It felt like winter even though it was spring. Hajime slipped and fell on his back, cracking the ice underneath him. "Are you okay, Shima-san?" Ishida asked.

"Don't worry about 'im, that always happens, he's me and Yahikkun's comic relief, ya know?" She said.

"Oh, I see." Ishida said.

A black mass crept behind Asuka and it touched her. She screamed and pulled out her evoker.

"Castor!" Her persona was a humanoid being wearing black riding a metallic black horse. The black horse had but one leg. It was has large as its body. Asuka's persona thrust its body through the black mass and it split apart into four of the same Shadows. More masses crept.

"Yahiko, you all take on the big one, we'll join you when we're done!"

"Gotcha, Naohiro!"

"I understand that you all have split up, correct? In any case, the monorail is approximately 200 yards from your position. Be aware that ice covers the tracks. If any of you fall off, you will land in an ocean of blood. Be careful." Hinata's voice rung in our heads.

"Where are you, anyway?" I asked.

"At the station, I can't fight and help your team at the same time. Hey, do you see people?" He said.

"No...Huh?" In the distance, I saw faint blue cards scattered across the ice near the monorail. I sped ahead of the other three and picked one up. "What is this, a Persona?" I asked.

_"My radar is showing that this is a person…Maybe…"_ His voice trailed off.

"The dorm who was here…" I picked up the other three cards.

_"Yamamoto-san, I think whatever you picked up might be people…or what's left of them."_

The cards broke and went inside of me.

_"What happened?" He asked._

"I think I just stole a dead person's Persona…"

_"Huh…?"_

We arrived the train and halted. Ishida and Nanami took out their bows while Hajime took out his two handed sword and I took my one handed sword.

"Why do you need something so heavy, Shima-kun?" Nanami asked.

"For the ladies, duh." That idiot said.

"We're the only ones who can see you, and we probably wouldn't go for…_Actually_, that Shiori girl seems to have a thing for you." Nanami said.

"U-Uemura-san has a…? For me…?" Hajime stuttered.

"Cut the _chit-chat_ and focus. We're here. Climb the ladder and get inside."

Nanami decided to climb first. She gave us a front row view of what was underneath her skirt. Ishida looked away while Hajime focused. I stared too, but not because of Hajime's reasons. I stared because I really can't tell what she's thinking.

Ishida climbed, Hajime, and then finally I did as well.

The train's insides were very narrow. It didn't seem fit for a party of four.

_"The Shadow is at the other end of the train, begin the operation."_ Hinata said in our ears.

Nanami got closer to me while the other two surveyed the scene.

"Hey, you saw it, didn't you…? You know...But don't worry, I won't tell _anyone~_." She said and poked me on my left cheek. I felt her soft finger and her fingernail scratch my face. It was…a slightly pleasing sensation. I stared at the entrance we came through while she did it. Something felt odd about the entrance. The temperature began to drop as I watched. Something is off, just _what_ is it? _Think, darn it!_ Then it hit me.

"Hey, you all. Don't you think it's odd? We're not at the station. In fact, we're in the dead middle of the track and the train's right here with the doors wide-."

The door that we came in suddenly closed with a loud bang as frost began to appear on the windows of the train.

"What…What?! Dude, we're trapped! It's getting colder too…What is this…?" Hajime exclaimed.

_"Trapped? There's no time to wa-, defe—the Shadow before-."_ Hinata stopped speaking.

"Hinata? Hinata!" I shouted while looking at the ground.

Ishida gritted his teeth, looked at the floor, and then ran off to the other end of this part of the train. He entered the door and ran off. "Ishida…Ishida!" I shouted but he ignored me. The temperature got lower and lower…The air seemed to weaken me…It felt worse…It stung my skin…It hurt.

"Why does everyone want to be the hero? First, Ichigawa, and now Ishida? Let's follow him and make sure he doesn't slow us down." I said and walked over to the door with evoker and sword in hand. A shadow in the shape of a woman's head with a tiara on its head dropped down from above me. Using my one-handed sword, I stabbed it in the eyes. It did not die, however. My sword was stuck in it. I tried to pull it out but it would not budge. With a thin whistling sound and a sudden piercing noise, the Shadow was defeated.

"'I've got you all's back' was what you said that day, right?" Nanami said, smiling.

"Thanks..." I said before walking into the next train-car.

After we all walked in, the door closed behind us. We saw Ishida running into the next room.

"Ishi-! Ah, screw it." I said. The instant his door closed, we heard a loud noise from the tip of the train.

"What was that?" Hajime asked.

"Sounded like an engine." Nanami inputted.

"Wait…you couldn't possibly mean…"As I spoke, I saw Tartarus moving from the window nearest Nanami.

_"The train…! It is moving…! In a few minutes, it'll make contact with the train in front of it…I think you have to be- t- Shadow to…"_ Hinata's voice disappeared once more.

"Wait, I did see that train in front of it! Then...it'll...!" Nanami shouted.

Tartarus began to disappear from my sight as the train picked up speed. A timer appeared on the right of my vision.

_Eight minutes 'til impact._

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys~! Jester here! Next chapter will feature development on Nanami and Ishida. We'll get more exposition on the relationship with Ishida, Eri, and Yahiko. Also, please review~! Even if you're a stranger, I still want to know how I did! Please give me advice if you think I need it. Thanks~!<strong> **If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!**


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